Regan
by Maura-Jane95
Summary: What if instead of Henry, Regina had adopted Emma and raised her as her daughter all along? If Emma had grown up inside storybrooke and Regina had taken a potion to forget that Emma was adopted? My first Once A/U please be gentle with it, and don't be afraid to throw out any suggestions. :)
1. Beginnings

**Authors note:** This is my first Once A/U so please be gentle with it. I'm trying to write it from two sides, and showing Regina's more maternal side. I myself am not a mother, but I do have two nephews that I would die for. I hope I get the mothering thing right none the less. Regina is still going to be the evil queen, but I'm putting out a twist where she adopts Emma, very young much like she did Henry, except... well, Emma.

Regina couldn't believe what she was doing; she was actually adopting a little girl, the one she believed to be snow white and prince charming's daughter to be exact. She was doing it to make sure that the girl was always under her care, so that she wouldn't grow up to be "the Savior" like everyone wanted. Instead she hoped to squash their chances of this by raising the little girl herself, it hadn't been hard to find her, and realistically how could it be? "Baby girl found on the side of freeway in Maine" kind of screamed out to people. Specifically the Evil Queen herself, though she wasn't queen here, she was Mayor Mills if anything, Regina at least, but definitely not the Evil Queen anymore.

When she made it into the adoption agency she was surprised to find the woman standing their already with the girl already in her arms ready to go, she just had to sign the papers and off she could be back to Storybrooke, the new place she had created for everyone in the Enchanted Forest where she would be their Mayor and they wouldn't remember who they really were. She had the ultimate control, and now, she had her enemies' daughter within her grasp.

"Hello Mayor Mills, I presume?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"We just have a few papers for you to sign, and the new birth certificate to fill out and you'll be able to take this little one. Was there a certain name you wanted?"

"Name? Doesn't she already have one?"

"Oh no ma'am, she hasn't had the chance to receive a name yet."

"Very well…"

"Ma'am?" Regina thought hard for a moment, trying to decide what exactly she would name this girl. After all, she would be raising her, and no matter who her birth parents were, she had no intention of being cruel to the little girl. Quite honestly, looking into the already blue-green eyes of the girl, and looking at the soft down of light blonde hair, she didn't look much like her mother anyways. It would be much easier than Regina expected to get attached to the girl with the bright eyes.

"Her name shall be Emmaline Regan Mills"

"OH! What a beautiful name! May I ask where you got it from?"

"Emmaline means Peaceful home, and Regan... I just like how it sounds." _Emmaline also means Rival._ Regina thought to herself, and if anything, she could always call the girl Emma.

"Very well, either way it's a beautiful name and congratulations on your new daughter!" The lady said, handing over the little girl after all the paperwork was finished. The woman missed the slight confusion that slid over Regina's face momentarily when she held the baby for the first time. She felt… something warm a literal fuzzy moment as they called it in those stupid movies that usually made her sick. She had barely seen any upon entering this new land, but she found the few she had seen revolting.

This child on the other hand… actually made her feel, dare she say happy? Warmth she hadn't felt in a while seemed to spread through her, and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, finding the feeling somewhat concerning. The baby on the other hand, Emmaline to be precise, just looked at her like she understood everything, like she could see right through Regina. Of course this was ridiculous! Emma, was just a baby, she didn't understand yet, and she probably never would, not if Regina could have her way. No, this little girl was already pulling on her heart strings, something she found oddly… comforting, maybe she would be able to love her, like her own. Slowly but surely she made her way back outside with the tiny little girl wrapped up tight and held close to her chest, she barely registered the goodbye of the people in the adoption agency. All she really registered, was the bright eyes looking up at her with an intense focus for someone so young and so small. Regina's heart fluttered a bit in an odd way she wasn't used too, and she put the tiny baby in the car seat, slowly driving off towards Maine. Her future, their future, where her daughter would grow up. _Daughter, how strange a feeling._ Regina couldn't help but feel as if she was no longer in control of her actions, she already loved Emma, and she had just gotten her. _First things first, I will make a potion to forget that Emma is snow white's child… and to forget that she is adopted, hopefully then no one will ever know. _With that she smiled to herself, thinking of all the plans she had and everything that would consist of her new life with this little baby she now called hers.

_**Three years later-**_

"Emma? Emma Darling? Come on sweetie it's time to go, we're going to be late!" Regina called looking around the house for her daughter. They were going to be late for their meeting with the new day care people, and Regina wanted to meet them before allowing her daughter to stay there while she was at work. She knew Emma didn't want to go, but… she didn't have much of a choice, she needed to be around children her own age, and she was getting to rowdy to stay in the office with her mom anymore.

"No! I don't want to go! I wanna stay with you mama!" Emma responded, rounding the corner with hands on her hips and an unhappy scowl painted on, the same look that Regina sometimes gave members of the board when they asked idiotic questions, or just plain irritated her. Regina smiled gently, walking over to the little girl and getting down to her level so that Emma didn't feel like she was being reprimanded. "Now Emma, we've talked about this, you know that we need to go meet with them. And I'm not leaving you there today! We're just meeting them so you can get to know them. I wouldn't leave you there immediately, you know that. Have I ever lied to you?" She asked calmly, making eye contact with the little blonde, her heart constricting slightly when she saw unshed tears. "No Mama, but…"

"But what sweetheart?"

"I like spending time with you… and I don't like new people."

Regina smiled, it felt so good to have unconditional love like that. And for a three year old, Emma was very versatile in her vocabulary, and conversational skills, far beyond that of the average three year old or so she had been told. After taking the potion about a week after she had brought Emma home, she no longer remembered adopting the little girl, the false memories she had given herself implied that she was her mother, and that she got her blonde hair from Cora's side of the family. She couldn't for the life of her remember who the father was, and that bothered her more than anything. But as long as her little Emma was healthy and happy, she didn't particularly care either way. She gently grabbed Emma and hoisted her up onto her hip, hugging her close.

"Emmaline Regan Mills, you and I both know that as the daughter of the Mayor you're going to have to meet lots of new people in life." Emma scrunched up her knows upon hearing her full name, she didn't very much like her full name. It sounded… to Princess-ie to her. But she didn't argue, and she snuggled into her mother's side.

"I know mama, but I like spending time with you better." As if it was a second thought, she threw out what else her mind had been going on about in the blatant way that she always did, a daughter of Regina mills through and through. "And I don't like being called Emmaline"

"Oh? What about Emma?"

"It's okay, I guess." Regina thought quietly on this one, her daughter had never voiced it to her before, why the change of heart?

"Okay… well what would you prefer?"

"I like my middle name, Mama. I like Regan."

"You know… Regan means Royal."

"It does?"

"yes dear, that's why I picked it out. It fits with Regina, which means queenly."

"Oh! Mama, I really wanna be called Regan, then we can match!"

Regina couldn't help but smile, for as much as her daughter was not the average girly-girl, she did want to be like her mother, that was for sure."

"Then Regan you shall be, my sweet girl. Now let's head out okay? What do you say?"

She looked down shyly then back up at her mom, having decided she thought it through enough. "Okay Mama, but only if they call me Regan."

"That can be arranged dear" She said, carrying "Regan" out to the car and buckling her into the car seat gently. Soon though, they were at the daycare and upon entering, Regina shook hands with the Man standing at the front counter.

"Hello, Thomas, how are you?"

"I am quite lovely, Mrs. Mills thank you so much for asking, and this must be Emmaline?"

Emma turned her head defiantly, looking the man straight in the eyes when she replied. "I like Regan better thank you." Then she turned her head and rested it back in the crook of her mother's neck, deciding that was her conversation for the day and she was done. Regina smiled at her daughter and looked back up at the man who seemed slightly taken aback.

"Alright… Regan it is."

And Emmaline would from then on be known as Regan.


	2. Free Falling

_**Regan, age six-**_

"Mama, can we go outside and play today?" Regan asked politely, her blue-green eyes flashing in excitement as she looked out the window at the sun, which was already beating down on the grass of the back yard. Her whole body was already shaking in excitement at the chance to play outside, especially on the new play area her mom had just bought her.

"Certainly sweetheart, I just have a few more things to put away from the dishwasher and then I'll be out there to play too, okay?" Regina said with a smile, she had no problem playing with her daughter outside, especially if she got to see that big smile of hers.

"Okay, mama, hurry okay?"

"okay honey, and BE CAREFUL!" She yelled as Regan ran out the door as fast as her little legs could take her. A muffled "I will!" came back to Regina and she couldn't help the small smirk that graced her normally stoic face.

Regan was already at the play area, noticing the swings as the first thing she wanted to climb on and play on. When she got on them she realized that her legs barely reached the ground, but it didn't stop her from swinging as high as she could. Soon though, she had decided enough was enough and she wanted to go down the slide, but then she remembered her legs were too short, and she did what every six year old would do. She jumped.

A scream sliced through the air, sending fear straight down Regina's spine. She knew something was wrong then, her daughter was hurt. "MAMA! MAMA HELP! IT HURTS!" That was all the encouragement Regina needed, she ran towards the play area, knowing full well that it was her daughter crying for her, and what she saw almost stopped her in her tracks. Regan was on the ground crying and holding her arm, her obviously very broken arm, and it looked like, it had actually broken out of the skin. That was definitely bone, and there was definitely blood all over the place. Regina's heart broke a little as she gently picked her daughter up and held her to her chest.

"Shhh, baby it'll be okay. I've got you now. We're going to the doctor's right now okay? They're going to fix your arm so it will be all better. Just breathe okay?"

"But Mama, it hurts soooo bad!" Regan exclaimed, bright eyes clouded over in pain. Her lower lip was still trembling but she had stopped crying. "I know baby, I know. It'll be fixed in no time okay? Just hold on tight." And hold on Regan did, burying her face in her mother's neck as she tried to forget that it hurt. Regina was jogging as carefully as she could to the car without shaking Regan. Doing what was very well considered Illegal, she held her daughter in her lap as she drove to the hospital, which this being a small town, was luckily not that far at all. Upon entering the hospital a lot of people gave her scared looks, which only served to make her angry, her daughter was hurt, and they were staring at her like she had wings and a tail!

"My daughter broke her arm, now will someone PLEASE help her, she's already in pain!" Regina snarled out at everyone, her daughter's pain making her a lot more anxious. She could feel it coming off the little girl in waves, and if the shivering was any justification it was there too.

Quickly she noticed, a nurse with a gurney come and help her place the little girl on it. Regan seemed so small and pale, compared to the gurney, and it broke Regina's heart a little more. Her daughter whimpered, pain clouding her eyes once again and Regina couldn't help but hope that they gave her enough pain killers to knock her out through the whole experience. She took hold of her daughter's hand and brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears. "It'll be okay, Regan, I promise, Mama's got you and nothing bad is going to happen anymore. They'll have your arm fixed in no time, okay baby girl?" Regan let out a little sniffle, turning her head into the palm of her mom's hand and nodding gently. She trusted her to keep her safe.

As they rushed to get her under some medication and set her bone back into its rightful place, Regina stepped out to call Graham.

"Sherriff speaking."

"Graham, I need you to do me a favor."

"Mayor Mills! Yes ma'am, of course! What can I do?"

"Take down the swings in the play area in my back yard."

"But Regina, I thought Regan real-"

"She broke her arm today jumping off of them, I want them removed immediately."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, I'll have them removed immediately… and Regina? She'll be okay."

Regina looked at her phone, an odd feeling over coming her but she brushed it off. Heading in the direction she knew her daughter to be. When she entered the room, Regan looked up and smiled brightly showing off her purple cast.

"Look mommy! It's even in my favorite color! Purple!"

"yes darling, I see that, does it still hurt?"

Regan shook her head vigorously, blonde curls flying every which way and spring back into their spots. The grin that lit up her face made Regina feel like a million bucks. Oh what she would do for this little girl…

"Mommy you should have one too!"

"Have what too?"

"A cast like me! Yours can be purple and then we would match!" She yelled, grinning ear to ear.

"Regan sweetie, the only give casts to people who have owies like you do."

"Oh… well can-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need you to fill out some paper work Ms. Mills" Dr. Whale said coming in, holding a clipboard with paperwork. "It seems that we don't have her full name on file."

The glare she shot him could have killed him if they were still in the enchanted forest, but they were not, and therefore he still stood very much alive, holding out the clipboard.

"What name do you have on file?"

"Just Regan Mills."

"That's a simple fix, her name is Emmaline Regan Mills"

"Her birthday is also missing…"

"How, dare I say can that possibly be? You better fix it soon, otherwise I will have no choice but to file a report on your inability to keep proper records."

"I will Ms. Mills, but I… I don't know her birthday." A tick had seemed to form at the corner of Regina's mouth as she tried to remain calm.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember since I had her at home, by myself! Since you were too drunk to come at the time! Therefore I will remind you of her birthday once, and only this once, it is October 22nd, 1983. That is her birthday, and you would do well to remember it."

"Yes ma'am." And with that he was gone. Regina didn't remember that Regan wasn't truly hers, and neither did the rest of the town. The memories she had created made her believe that she had given birth to Regan on October 22nd, 1983 and that she had did so on her own at home, when no one could or would come to help. As far as she could remember, or was concerned, Regan was her daughter, she didn't remember who the father was, but that didn't concern her. All that mattered was that she was there to protect her daughter, and the rest of the town better remember that, or find themselves in a world of hurt. Nothing and she meant nothing, would ever hurt her daughter again, whether it be the swings or something else.

"Mommy?" The timid voice spoke gently, causing Regina to turn and see fearful green eyes, enough fear to make Regina flinch, she hadn't meant to scare her.

"Yes baby?"

"Can we go home now?"

"Of course sweetheart, I just have to tell Dr. Whale and then we can leave, and after that we can do anything that you want to do. We can watch a movie, or read, we can eat ice cream. What do you want to do honey?"

"I wanna watch the princess movies… and snuggle with you, maybe have apple pie?" She asked quietly, the fear leaking away slowly. Regina's smile only got bigger.

"of course sweet heart! You can even have vanilla ice cream on top."

"Really?"

"Yes baby, really, you deserve it. Does your arm feel better?"

Regan lifted her arm carefully, moving the cast this way in that as if to measure it out. It didn't hurt per say, but it did tingle and feel odd to her.

"It doesn't hurt. It just feels all… tingly."

"Good, I want you to be safe."

"I know Mama, and I'm sorry for scaring you… I didn't mean too, I just wanted down."

"I'm sorry too baby, and why didn't you just ask for help?"

Green eyes peered up at her from behind messy curls, the timidness was back.

"Because you were busy and I didn't wanna bug you."

Regina couldn't help the hurt whimper that came out of her throat, it was an odd sound coming from her, and one she hadn't made in a long time. Her daughter thought she was too busy to help… Too busy in fact to stop her from doing something dangerous, had her working lately caused Regan to believe that she couldn't even help for a minute? Instead she had decided to do the dangerous thing and jump from the swing. Regina made her way over to her daughter quickly, minding her arm, but holding her daughter in a tight embrace, kissing the side of her head.

"Oh sweetheart, I am never too busy to keep you safe. I will always be able to help you, no matter what the reason is okay? I don't ever want to see you get hurt because of me."

Regan just smiled and patted her mom's back gently, as she had done a million times before for the little girl. "It's okay Mama, I just don't like buggin' you."

"You could never bug me honey, never." Regina responded, tears springing to her eyes as she smothered her daughter in kisses until the giggling barely stopped.

"mommy! That tickles!"

"Well it's time to go anyways, don't want to waste that apple pie do we?"

"no mommy! Never!"

And in a quick motion, Regina scooped her up, tickling her sides a little more before making her way out the door, exhausted. The day had been more of an adventure then she had hoped for, but the smile that was still sitting smugly on Regan's face was worth it.


	3. Fighting back

_**Regan- Age 8**_

She had never really been in trouble before, it was an odd sort of thing, but judging by the look on her 2nd grade teacher's face, she was completely and wholly in trouble and there would be no getting out of it._ Mama is gonna be so mad at me. _Was the only thought that kept racing through her mind, spinning around like those little hamsters she saw at the pet store. She hadn't meant to punch August in the face, but he had called her a _Freak _and _Mama's big baby _and it was all she could do to hold back enough to not just completely have at it. She had broken his nose and that was that, her teacher snatched her up by the collar of her shirt, and now she was in the principal's office, with her teacher, waiting for her mother to get there.

_Oh yes, so much trouble it's not even funny. I'm gonna be grounded for the next year, and no more late night movies, no apple pie… no apple pie, oh jeez what have I done. Mama is gonna be so angry with me when she gets here. I'm making her miss work too! Oh crap. _

Green eyes jerked towards the door when it flew open and she heard the knowing _click-click-click_ of her mother's heels. She didn't want to make eye contact at all, but when she saw the heels stop in front of her seat she didn't think she'd have much of a choice, the gentle sigh she heard though, confused her. It sounded like her mother had been _worried?_

"Regan…" It came with softness that she feared meant exasperation; she looked down even further, staring hard enough to burn holes into the floor.

"Regan" her mother tried again, still with no response, except for the sagging of little shoulders.

"Emmaline." This grabbed her attention, her mother never called her by that anymore, not since she was little, not even the teachers called her that. As she slowly pulled her head up, her mother bent down to eye level, brown eyes were scanning her face and body looking for injury. A relieved sigh escaping her throat as she realized her daughter was not hurt. Regina gently grabbed her daughter's chin, giving her a soft smile as if to say all would be _Okay_ and that she had nothing to fear, Regan smiled back carefully.

"What exactly is the meaning of calling me down here when my daughter is perfectly fine, not a scratch on her from what I can see?" What were soft brown eyes, turned dark and cold as she glanced from the teacher to the principal.

"She wasn't the one who was hit Madam Mayor"

"Oh? Then who was, hit if not my daughter and why do I care?"

"She hit august, and broke his nose." The principal calmly replied, expecting the Mayor to become angry with her own daughter. Brown eyes glanced back to vivid green ones, and her daughter looked scared for a moment before looking down, hiding behind brassy curls.

"And what did he say to deserve to be hit?" The sharp inhale of the principal was almost drowned out by the gasp from her daughter. Both were surprised by the question, one because she expected punishment, the other because she expected to **BE **punished.

"I do not believe he did anything."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Regan shouted, jumping up from her chair and showing the face she had been hiding for most of the conversation. Anger shown bright in the normally gentle green eyes, she was normally so calm, but this caused her anger to build. She'd been bullied for a while now, but never had she reacted before today. Not physically anyhow, she knew how to verbally fight back, she **WAS **the mayor's daughter after all.

"Regan, sweetheart, tell me what happened, I promise I won't get mad."

"That's a lie, he has been picking on me since I started second grade! And the teacher knew and she did nothing! He called me a freak and mama's baby and all sorts of things and so I hit him! I hit him and he deserved it for picking on me! And none of you did anything to help me!"

The anger that flashed in Regina's eyes was not geared towards Regan, oh no it was geared towards the teacher who dared to look ashamed, and the principal who pursed her lips together in what was almost a snear. How dare they not help her daughter out, she knew the girl was having some problems in school but she never knew it was this bad.

"Regan, honey why didn't you tell me?"

"I was hoping it would stop, or that he'd leave me alone."

"Sweetie, is that why you had that bruise last week?"

No answer came but judging by the fact that she was now looking down Regina had her answer.

"Honey?"

"Yes, Mama. That's why."

"And how exactly… did you get that bruise?"

"…August held me down on the playground after I stood up to him, he asked me if I could back up my big mouth with any muscles."

"And what happened then?"

"He spit in my face, and left me there when the bell rang to go back."

A snarl escaped Regina's throat, and actual snarl that no one there thought was physically possible of a grown woman.

"I hope… you all now know that August deserved getting hit… and much more. I hope you get him suspended at least. I do not tolerate anyone to bully my child, and after that is done, I want her placed in a different classroom. Mary-Margaret's to be exact."

"But Madame Mayor, you hate Mary-Margaret…"

"And yet she is still more competent than any of you to take care of and keep my daughter safe! You're lucky I don't take your job for this Maleficent!"

"Yes, ma'am I understand, I will have her switched immediately, we can take her down there now if-"

"No! She will be spending the rest of the week with me, until I feel that you have solved all the problems you have going on and she is ready to go back! Not a moment sooner, not a moment later! Do you understand me?"

"Yes Madame Mayor"

"Good. Regan? Are you ready to go baby?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Come on then Dear, we're going home." Regina reached over and picked Regan up and her backpack, soon the girl would be too big to carry her like this, but for now she was still small for her age, and Regina was happy she could carry her still.

Regan snuggled into her mother's shoulder, and as they walked out she stuck her tongue out at the teacher who had the decency to blush furiously. She hugged her mother tighter, happy that she wasn't in trouble and that her mom had decided to take her home. Regina responded by rubbing her back gently, the worry finally overcame the anger and laid her head on her daughter's until they made it to the car, where she opened the door and let her daughter climb in the front seat. Backpack on the floorboard and seatbelt buckled.

"Mama?" Regan asked gently, looking up at her mom with something akin to admiration in her eyes.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Thank you for protecting me, and for telling them off. I don't like her class anymore."

"Oh, sweetheart I will always protect you, and Regan?"

"Yes, Mama?"

"Next time please tell me when they're bulling you. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I wanted to be a big girl, and to take care of it by myself."

Regina thought on that till they made it to the house, where she pulled into the garage. As soon as the car was off Regan bolted up and into the house running to her room to take off her shoes and throw her bag on the floor, where she pulled out a picture she had drawn of a unicorn. She taped it to the wall with the rest of her pictures. Purple walls were covered in drawings, and paintings, all of the little girls own work. Gold trim lined the door and the two bay windows. Her closet was covered in little quotes she liked from Disney movies, and her bed had a blue canopy on it, with Pink sheets, and a blue Scooby-doo blanket, her current favorite show.

Regina slowly made her way up the stairs to her daughter's room, taking in all the drawings of happy things she liked, and took joy from. If only the girl knew she was the only joy her mother had, and if you looked into Regina's room, you would be able to tell with the stark black and white theme, minus the few pictures around the room of her and her daughter, not to mention the drawings her daughter made for her.

"Regan?"

"Yes, Mama?"

"How do you feel about dinner at Granny's, and then we can come back here and watch a movie with some apple pie for dessert?"

"That sounds amazing!" The girl shouted, grabbing her shoes again to throw them on.

"Honey, dinner isn't for a little while… you don't have to put your shoes on right now."

"oh… well what do we do until then?"

"How about we bake that pie, and watch tv until then? Any show you want, we can watch."

"Even power puff girls?"

"Even the power puff girls."

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's go bake that pie!" She shouted, grabbing her mother's hand and dragging her into the kitchen, happy to be making one of her favorite deserts of all time.

After the pie was on the counter and cooling, they snuggled onto the couch watching power puff girls. Regan curled into her mother's side, snuggled right into her hip, her mother's hand gently rubbing her back. When Regina looked down she noticed her daughter taking an impromptu nap, but probably one that was much needed. She smiled warmly at her, knowing in a little bit she would need to wake her up for dinner. But for now she was just happy to take in her daughter's existence. Soft blonde curls fell gently over the side of the couch, now incredibly long, and darker than they had been when she was a lot younger. A small gentle smile was on her daughter's lips, one that soon turned into a grimace as she started thrashing a bit. Clearly having a nightmare.

"Regan sweetie, it's okay. Shhh… you're okay, it's just a nightmare. Mama's got you, you're okay." Regina whispered to her, gently brushing her hair away from her face and waiting for her daughter to settle down again with a soft sigh. She may not have been able to stop the bullying at school until now, but she would always stop her daughter's nightmares immediately. Nothing would hurt Regan if she had any choice in the matter, and being Mayor, she made sure that she always had a choice, no matter the consequences.


	4. Happy birthday, Regan

**Do to all the lovely reviews I decided another chapter wouldn't be too bad to put out right away. Seriously, the reviews make me ridiculously happy and oh so willing to write more often. Thank you! And if you can think of any ages or things you want to see, throw them out there.**

_**Regan- Age 9**_

October had rolled around, and the spring air had slowly been getting colder and colder in the Maine autumn wind. People throughout Storybrooke were sweeping leaves off of their front porches, and raking them into piles in the yard. Children were making the piles over and over so they could jump into them and enjoy the carelessness that came with the multi-colored leaves. Halloween was a little over a week away and children already had their costumes picked out and were deciding what candy they would want to have most. Which houses would have the best candy, and which was the best route to take to get to said houses. Parents were planning Halloween parties, helping kids carve pumpkins, making holiday treats, and buying candy and costumes from the stores. In a house on Mifflin street though, one single parent was trying to decide what to do for her daughter's ninth birthday, a birthday that had been planned months ago, but she had decided wasn't good enough at the last minute. Mostly because her daughter had recently informed her that she _doesn't like Disney princesses anymore, those are for babies. I like Batman. _Because of course, her daughter had suddenly become a tomboy and god forbid she like something girly.

Luckily for Regina, Batman was something rather easy to find. Black and Yellow balloons were first on her list. Then she had to bake the cake, chocolate with vanilla frosting, food coloring dyed frosting to get the black and yellow. She also had to pick up plates and party supplies, luckily for her the invites had already been sent out to the few people that Regan had wanted to go: Ruby Lucas, Belle French, Ariel, Ashley, Aladdin, Hansel, Jack, and Jacob Grimm. She asked if she had wanted Gretel to go, but apparently they were no longer friends as she had turned into a _no good, dirty, rotten, liar, and a thief. _All the children had agreed to go and were going to be showing up around 2. It was now eleven, Regan was out with Graham, and Regina just had to pick up the cake, balloons, supplies, and one last thing, Regan's big present for her birthday.

It had taken A LOT of thought for Regina to come up with present she did, sure Regan had said she wanted one for the last couple years, but she still wasn't sure the girl was up to the type of care it would take, or the patience for that matter. Still she headed out to get all the things, hoping to have it all set up by the time the girl got there, half an hour after everyone else was to show up…

It was now 2:30, everyone was hidden behind various things in the house, and the lights were all turned off, her daughter's biggest present yet was waiting in the kitchen where it wouldn't be seen, and everything was perfect. When the front door opened she could hear her daughter's voice.

"Graham, why are all the lights off?"

"I dunno kid, maybe your mom was late on errands."

"Do you think she forgot my birthday? I mean it's okay if she did I just-"

"_**SURPRISE!"**_ Everyone shouted, startling Regan enough to jump into Graham's arms, causing the man to laugh.

"Happy birthday, Regan!" Could be heard by various voices throughout the living room, and she couldn't help the giant smile that plastered itself across her face.

"Thank you, everyone! Mom, I thought we were celebrating tomorrow?"

"Well dear, I thought I would surprise you today." Regan couldn't help it as the smile got bigger, as she thanked everyone for coming one by one, giving out a few hugs and high fives as she went, ever the boisterous Mayor's daughter. When she made it to her mother she simply hugged her, tall enough now that her chin reached her mother's shoulder, her growth spurt had just occurred a little over a month ago, and had left her barely shorter than her mom. Regina couldn't help but hug her daughter tightly; far too soon this same girl would be taller than her, and old enough to take care of herself. Time was flying by way to quickly for Regina's liking.

"Now, would you like to start with cake or presents first?"

"Cake!"

So Regina went and got the cake, setting it gently on the dining room table where all the kids surrounded Regan as they sang happy birthday. Quickly, while she was getting ready to blow out the candles, Regina took a picture. Regan had her eyes closed in concentration as she blew out the candles on her cake, batman insignia and all. It was the perfect picture, with all her friends smiling at her in the background, even with the batman party hat on her head. Blonde curls hanging loosely, white shirt that would very soon be stained, but for the moment, was clean. The whole thing was perfect.

As everyone dug into the cake, Regina couldn't help but lean gently over her daughter and place a kiss on her cheek, giving the girl a happy smile. Her daughter turned with a smile that was soon replaced with a confused expression when she noticed the tears threatening to fall. Regan looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, but they were all too busy with cake. So in a quiet voice as to not let the others catch on, she asked her mother, "Are you okay?"

Regina sighed; her daughter was growing up and noticing things far too quickly for her liking. Her magic was growing stronger too, and it was far more powerful than even Regina's.

"You're just… growing up. You're not going to be my baby anymore." She said, her breathe coming out raggedly, with a few tears escaping.

"Mama" Regan said with conviction. Her eyes trained fully on her mother's face, never breaking eye contact. "No matter what happens, whether it's tomorrow, or thirty years from now, I will always be your baby."

Regina couldn't help but smile at her daughter's words, they sounded far too mature coming from the girl and it made her sad. At the same time though, they made her so happy, happy that her daughter understood. Soon though, she would have to teach her daughter about her magic, it wasn't like the girl didn't know it existed, she knew. Just like she knew a few other things involving the town, such as where it had come from, and who her mother truly was. Some of the… darker details had been left out for her own good, but she knew that she was her mother's light. And she planned to stay that way for as long as she could.

"Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Can we open presents now?" Regina laughed, back to being the nine year old she was thank goodness, all this adult talk had made her sad.

"Of course dear, I'll go get them, let your friends know."

"HEY EVERYONE, WE'RE DOING PRESENTS NOW!"

"Regan…" Regina said, giving her daughter _the look_. Regan at least had the decency to look embarrassed, half a grin on her face. Non the less, Regina went and got _almost all _the presents and placed them in front of her daughter.

This went on for a good half hour, with the _ooohs and ahhhs_. She had received many new things, such as books, vhs tapes, a few batman related toys, and of course a new hoodie that said _Royal_ on the back in gold writing, the jacket itself being the dark purple she so thoroughly enjoyed.

"Thank you everyone! I loved the presents!" Regan said, a smile still on her face.

"Now hold on missy, you have one more present."

"I do?"

"Yes you do, I'll be right back." Regina said walking away. Regan turned to Ruby and whispered quietly. "Okay, Rubes you've got that good nose going for ya, can you tell what it is?"

Ruby took a whiff of the air, a smile growing on her face. "Yup."

"Well what is it?"

"I'm not telling."

"come on Ruby! Ya gotta tell me!"

"Nope, you'll see in a second."

"_ughhhhh_"

"Regan Mills, were you trying to con Ruby into telling you what it was?" her mother responded, coming around the corner with something behind her back.

"Uhhh.. no?"

"Ruby?"

"Yeah she was madame mayor"

"Thanks a lot, Rubes." Ruby sent Regan a sly smile.

"Well, I think you'll figure this out fairly quickly anyways."

From behind Regina's back, she pulled out none other than a puppy. A Very fluffy puppy that had white on its chest with tan on its back, grey and brown spots covered it much like you would see on an Australian Shepherd, though the dog itself had pointy ears and a fluffy tail that curled like you would see on a Siberian Husky. Blue eyes shown bright on the puppy, who was still rather small, the big blue ribbon on him made them stand out even more. Regan's whole face lit up as she gently grabbed the puppy, pulling him into her chest and hugging him tight.

"This is for me?!"

"Yes dear, you've been wanting one forever."

"Does he have a name yet?"

"No, no he doesn't."

"So I can keep him?"

"Yes dear, that's the point of a present"

Regina couldn't help but smile at the loud squeal that came out of her daughter's mouth as she snuggled the puppy impossibly closer.

"What kind of dog is he?"

"He's an Australian Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix. He's going to be pretty big too, so you need to train him to be well behaved, take him on walks, make sure to feed him…"

"Oh I will Mama! I will I swear! I'm gonna name him Charlie! He'll be the best and most well behaved dog ever mom! You'll see! You're the best ever ever ever!"

And with that, all the struggles to get this put together, all the hard times she had finding the perfect puppy, all the effort that had gone into this day… It was all worth it to see her daughter's face. Nothing could have made this day any better, nothing at all.

**Author's note: If there is anything you do want to see, please tell me in the reviews otherwise it's just gonna be a whole lot of fluff. The ages don't necessarily have to go in order, it's just the way I've been going about it so far, so don't be afraid to throw another age out there. I'll take any requests and do what I can with them, so please feel free to do so. **


	5. Hush, little baby

_**Regan- 2 weeks old**_

The sudden crying startled Regina awake, looking at the clock she groaned inwardly. It was 2 am, and she had literally just gone _back _to sleep 20 minutes ago. The bags under her eyes from days of not sleeping were just getting darker and darker; she was beginning to look like a Raccoon. Her hair these days was always messy, she never had time for make-up anymore, and she had to be reminded to wear _work-clothes _to work, otherwise she just would forget and come in her pajamas. Emmaline cried every 30 minutes to an hour, all day every day. Nothing Regina did seemed to help matters at all, nothing in the least. It was enough to make her want to snap, taking it out on any of the many citizens of Storybrooke.

With an even louder cry bringing her out of her thoughts, she made her way into Emmaline's room, wanting more than anything for it to stop. She had taken her to the doctor, she had sang to her, fed her, bathed her, snuggled her, turned on the TV, played music, everything she tried didn't seem to help in the slightest. It made the normally level-headed, calm, cool, and collected Mayor, very frantic, and frazzled. Possibly even a little crazy, if she wasn't there already. She picked Emmaline up and held her close.

"_Emmaline… Emmaline please stop. Please, I beg of you, I will do anything you want, just tell me and I will get you it, just please stop" _She rocked the little girl back and forth, humming gently with a smile gracing her lips for the first time in a week when the crying finally stopped.

She headed over to the rocking chair in the corner, as while the girl had stopped crying, she still hadn't gone to sleep. Regina sat down in the chair gently, feet up on the ottoman as she started to rock them back and forth, back and forth, singing gently to the little girl, and a smile still in place.

_Daisy, daisy,_

_Give me your answer true,_

_I'm half crazy,_

_Over the love of you,_

_It won't be a stylish marriage,_

_I can't afford a carriage,_

_But you'll look sweet,_

_Upon the seat,_

_Of a bicycle built for two._

Emmaline still wasn't a sleep, but she was clearly getting there. Regina would have happily sung to her all night long if it meant her baby was quiet and seemingly not in any stress.

_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine,_

_You make me happy, _

_When skies are gray,_

_You do not know dear,_

_How much I love you,_

_So please don't take…_

_My sunshine away…_

_The other night dear,_

_While I was sleeping,_

_I dreamt I held you in my arms,_

_When I awoke dear,_

_I was mistaken,_

_And I just held…_

_My head,_

_And cried_

_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine,_

_You make me happy,_

_When skies are grey,_

_You'll never know dear,_

_How much I love you,_

_Please don't take,_

_My sunshine away._

When Regina looked again at her daughter she smiled happily, the little girl was fast asleep in her arms. But when she moved to put her in the crib, the baby stirred, blinking her large blue eyes up at her. So Regina settled herself in again, and picked another song from her head, it might be a long night.

_Hush, little baby, don't say a word,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird,_

_And if that mockingbird won't sing, _

_Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring,_

_And if that diamond ring turns brass,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass,_

_And if that looking glass gets broke,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat,_

_And if that billy goat won't pull,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull,_

_And if that cart and bull turn over,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover,_

_And if that dog named Rover won't bark,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart,_

_And if that horse and cart fall down,_

_You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town._

Regina looked down and smiled content to just lean back and close her eyes basking in the silence. She continued to rock of course, to ensure that Emmaline didn't wake up again. Soon she too fell asleep in the rocking chair. Content to just drift away to dreamland, leaving all of her worries behind.

When Regina woke up again, hours later, it wasn't because her daughter was crying, or even awake for that matter. Quite simply the little baby was still out like a light, a first for Regina. No, what woke her up was the sunshine coming in through the window, hitting her full blast in the eyes. Carefully, ever so carefully, she got up and placed her daughter into the crib, ensuring she didn't wake up. She then through a pillow and blanket on to the floor, and curled up facing towards the crib and away from the window so that she could go back to sleep. She didn't want to leave her daughter's side after this last night, it made her feel like their bond was stronger than ever. She wanted her baby to know, that even now she would never leave her, for anything. No matter how tired she was, she would be there. The floor would just have to be her place for rest until she could find an air mattress, or the little girl learned to sleep on her own.


	6. Finding out and jumping in

**Warning: Suicide attempt, so if it's not your thing, I'm sorry, you're gonna wanna skip this chapter.**

_**Regan- age 17**_

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't tell me you're sorry, you LIED all this time, my whole life is all a LIE."

"It wasn't all a lie! Just because I didn't actually give birth to you doesn't make me any less your mother! I still love you! I still bathed you, fed you, held you, hugged you, took you to school, helped you get ready, and tucked you in!"

"You're not my real mom and you never will be!"

"I am your mother and you will respect me as much!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER, YOU NEVER WILL BE! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! I could have been happy, but you took that all away, you took away any chance I had at being a real princess! You took everything from me, and tried replacing it with yourself! You're selfish, and cruel! And your heart is too dark to ever really love me anyways!"

The door slammed, hard. It was all Regina could do not to cry, as she slowly slid down the kitchen cabinet onto the floor, head in her hands, tears falling freely. Regan was already out the door, in her car, and down the road by the time Regina had made it to the floor. She hadn't met for Regan to find out this way, it was the worst possible way there was. The curse was now broken, much sooner than expected, and all the secrets had come spilling out like water from a broken drain pipe. She wished so badly that she could fix it. Didn't Regan see? Didn't she know that Regina loved her with every fiber of her being? That she was and always would be her daughter?

Tears poured down her faces and into her hands, falling freely and without any hope of stopping soon. Regan now knew the truth; she was an evil queen who had cast a curse, causing a hundred plus to be under her power as Mayor. Two of those idiots were Regan's biological parents, Mary-Margaret Blanchard, and David Nolan; Also known as Snow White, and Prince Charming, the very people she wanted to destroy.

Snow White had come to her house, demanding to see her daughter that Regina had _so unrightfully and cruelly taken away. _How dare she love Regan like her own, and take complete care of her! How dare she ever think she could be a mother and a good one at that, after everything she had done to the people of the enchanted forest! She was _nothing but an evil queen, hell bent on ruining everyone's life, including that of the girl she dared to call her daughter. _

Every part of her hurt… It all hurt in that way that only someone who you really love could do. She HAD to find Regan now, tell her everything, her side without getting mad, and hope the girl understood. If not… well she would give her the choice of living with Mary-Margaret instead, her _real mom_. All she could do was hope beyond reason that the girl would listen, and maybe, just maybe, they could savage a little bit of this relationship.

Pulling up in front of the docks, Regina knew this was the only place that Regan could have gone, or would have gone. She didn't know Mary-Margaret well enough to run there, and she didn't really have a true attachment with anyone else. The docks would have to have been her safe haven.

When Regina got out of her car and started walking towards the docks, she saw her daughter standing at the edge of the pier, a cigarette in hand. She approached quietly, wondering what, other than ruining her lungs, the girl was doing. She watched her finish her cigarette, putting it out on the pier, before jumping straight into the very cold water.

Regina screamed…

And ran as fast as she could to the edge…

She jumped in after her daughter…

Diving into the icy water, she wished she hadn't had as many layers to cause extra weight and hold the cold in more. But she quickly shook the thought away, now was not the time to worry about that, she had to find Regan. She looked down, and through the murky water she could see bright blonde hair, waving in the water much like the seaweed was. The girl was forcing herself down, slowly but surely losing consciousness, as her fingers started to turn bluish.

Regina swam quickly towards her daughter, grabbing hold of her under her armpits and attempting to pull up. Barely open green eyes looked up at her before rolling back, proof that the girl was no longer conscious. Regina swam up, pulling her daughter along with her and holding on tightly. She was not going to lose her, not if it was the last thing she ever did. She felt like the air above was getting further away, but still she kept going. The sides of her vision slowly fading to black. _Almost there… I'm almost there… just… a little… further. _And then she broke through, gulping in fresh air and pulling her daughter above water with her.

A pair of strong arms reached out and pulled Regan up and out of the water, where a different set of hands started chest compressions and breaths.

_1…2…3…4…_

The same set of strong arms that grabbed Regan now grabbed Regina and pulled her up as well, a wool blanket rapped around her shoulders.

Soon, but not soon enough for Regina's liking, her daughter sputtered water out of her throat, gulping in fresh air, chest heaving.

"I want my mom! Where's my mom!"

"I'm right here, sweetie, it's okay." Was the response from Mary-Margaret, the hands that had done the chest compressions.

"No. I want my real mommy."

A hurt look crossed Mary-Margaret's face, but it was too quick to be registered, and Regina already had her arms around Regan, holding her close and singing gently before David could even formulate a response.

"_Daisy, daisy,_

_Give me your answer true…"_

"Mommy, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry."

"Shhh, baby, Shhh. everything is alright. I have you now, and it's all okay. Please just never do that again."

"I thought that you wouldn't forgive me, that you'd hate me forever."

"Shhh… You're my baby, no matter what you say or do. No matter what time it is, or where you are. I don't care if it's the apocalypse and I'm half way around the world, I could never hate you, you're my daughter through and through."

"Even though I'm the blood-daughter of your most hated enemy?"

"Even though your biological parents are my most hated enemies, you are still MINE. Like I said before, I raised you, and took care of you; I named you, Emmaline Regan Mills. I even cursed myself to believe I gave birth to you; there is no part of me that could ever hate you."

Regan hugged Regina tight, head curled into her chest, still shivering. She was sorry that she had attempted what she did, but she was sorrier for hurting her mom.

"…I love you, Mama."

"I love you more, Regan, more than all the stars."

And it was all that needed to be said, as they waited for the ambulance for the two of them to understand. They now knew where they each stood, and though they definitely had things they HAD to talk about… There wouldn't be any hard feelings between mother and daughter.


	7. Under pressure

**A/n: **_This prompt was left in the reviews, and quite honestly at first I didn't know how to go about it. I hope it's to your liking. Honestly the whole thought behind it gave ME a mini-heart attack just at the thought, but I think Regina would be cooler about it than say… my mother. Lol, anyways I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed, my brain had it all ready to go and I got mostly through it before my mind started shutting down, but I couldn't quit to go to sleep. Let me know what you think! And As always, reviews/recommendations for other prompts are welcome! Thank you for your continued support! _

_**Regan- Age 15**_

Regan thought she understood what love was. Her mother loved her, her best friend Ruby loved her, her dog loved her, and she loved them; She also loved her boyfriend, Killian, who was only a year older, but more "experienced" as he put it. She was perfectly content in their relationship how it currently was, she didn't need sex or promises of a future, and after all she was only 15.

Killian felt differently, and she knew it. He insisted on his promises of getting married someday, how they would leave their small town and have kids. They would make something big out of themselves, more than they could ever be in the sleepy, little town of storybrooke. Sure, everyone dies famous in a small town, but he wanted to die famous in the big city. Maybe Boston, or Chicago, Austin, New York, Seattle, it really didn't matter as long as he was famous when he died, had all the money he could ever wish for, and a trophy-wife in, Regan.

He gave all these promises to Regan, in hopes that she would give up her purity to him, because as far as he was concerned, she was going to be his, so they might as well make it permanent.

"Come on, Regan, we're going to be together forever anyways."

"Killian, I'm really not sure about this, or comfortable."

"It will only hurt for a minute, I swear, and then it will be complete bliss. You won't even remember that little bit of pain after I take you on a journey of a lifetime."

"It's not just that and you know it. My mom is all about saving yourself for marriage, and she certainly wouldn't want me giving it up at 15. She may not be religious, but she was serious on this one. I'm not comfortable with lying to my mom."

"It's not lying if she doesn't ask."

"No, that's omission, which is another form of lying."

"Come on, Mills! The Junior, Senior prom is coming up, and I want you to go. Wouldn't that be an amazing way to end it? You, me, a whole hotel room to ourselves."

"Isn't it awkward talking to me about _this _and calling me 'Mills', when my mother is Mayor? And quite honestly, while that does sound appealing I can't do that to my mom…"

"quite honestly, it isn't that awkward at all to me until you point that out. Think about it alright? It'll feel so good, you don't even understand. On top of that, we're going to be together forever anyways, so what's the harm?"

"I'll think about it, okay?"

"You've got yourself a deal, I have to go clean my older brother's boat, so I'll talk to you later okay?"

"okay… I love you!"

"You too, Mills. Bye."

"Bye…"

Regan couldn't help the sting that came whenever Killian didn't reciprocate her "I love you"s. For a moment, she pondered if Killian would say it back if she gave up her virginity. It was the last thing she had to offer, as she had already given him everything else. She was mumbling about all this, when she turned around and found her mom standing in the doorway. Watching her carefully, which quite frankly, scared the hell out of her; and the tea she had just grabbed from her nightstand flew up into the air and spilt all down her, the glass shattering on the floor at her feet.

In seconds, she had spilled all of her tea, broken one of her mom's favorite mugs, cut open her foot, and possibly had a whole conversation about losing her virginity to her boyfriend, all with her mom standing in the doorway. The panic attack that came on suddenly was enough to knock the wind out of her. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, the blood she saw oozing from her foot made her freak out more, and she was her mother's face go from angry/amused, to downright concerned, as she completely lost consciousness. The last thing she remembered was everything turning into shades of gray as she made her dissent to the floor in a very ungraceful manner.

When Regan came too, the first thing she saw was her mother's face, concerned darkening her features. She blinked a few times, trying to clear away the haze, and attempted to sit up, something her mother immediately disallowed.

"No honey, you need to stay lying down. How are you feeling? Queasy? Any headaches or migraines? Does your head hurt? Tell me, baby, what hurts?"

"Water?" Regan asked her throat feeling to parched to really talk.

"Oh! Of course!" Regina quickly handed Regan the water she so desired, watching as the girl chugged the water down. Breathing a sigh of relief once the water was gone.

"Nothing hurts really, aside from a dull ache in my side, and head from where I'm assuming I hit the ground." Regan responded with a small smile. She wanted to avoid the topic she knew would come up soon, as it was the topic that had gotten her into all this.

Luckily for her, Regina wanted her daughter to have rest and to get rid of any pain she was having, hoping beyond hope that her daughter **did not **have a concussion. So she soon brought her some hot chocolate with cinnamon, and brought the girl into her room so they could watch a movie. "Mamma Mia!" was the choice, and quite soon Regan was curled up with her head on her mom's chest, falling asleep to the gentle heartbeat she heard, and the calm breathes. Regina couldn't help the smile, and soon turned off the movie so she could fall asleep as well, with both arms curled protectively over her daughter.

Morning came too soon for both parties, though Regina woke up before Regan to find her entire body her daughter's pillow as the girl had completely covered her mom in her sleep. She was getting to old for this, that was for sure, but she still couldn't help but remember the same girl doing it years before when she was much younger, and how cute she found it even then. Now it was still cute, but it made it difficult to breathe.

Luckily for her, Regan rolled off in a movement that she could only assume had to do with the dream she was having. So she made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the day, before she headed into the kitchen to start breakfast. Luckily for her it was a Saturday, so the talk she put off last night could be had today. She wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done. She didn't want Regan making any mistakes at the tender age of 15, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to wound up getting hurt. It was to be avoided at all costs.

Soon enough the girl came down, bleary-eyed, with blonde hair pushed every which way, and pajamas rather crumpled. Immediately she reached for the coffee her mother gave her, and showed off a tired, but happy smile.

"Regan… we need to talk about yesterday." The smile fell off the girls face.

"Do we really have too, mom? I mean I understand, and I didn't want to have to lie to you! It's not like we already have or I said that I would! If I promise I won't will you let it go?" Regan had woken up quickly now, prepared to defend her honor and to get out cleanly.

"I'm not worried about you lying to me, I know that you wouldn't have anyways. And you still know why I can't just let this go, he doesn't even love you."

"He does love me!"

"If that's the case, than why doesn't he ever say it back?" 

"He's just not comfortable with it that's all."

"Dear… let me tell you something, and I hope if anything this is what sticks with you. He doesn't love you, not like he should anyways. He should love you as you, a human-being, not a trophy like he makes you out to be. If he loved you, he would understand why you don't want to be intimate like that yet. He would also understand your relationship with me, and wouldn't be telling you to lie. That's not love that is taking advantage. I've been there, so I understand what it's like. I know you find that hard to believe, but if he cared about you at all, he wouldn't question your wants or desires, he would just go with them, and he certainly wouldn't be pressuring you."

Regan looked down, ashamed that her mother was right and seriously hoping to find a way to argue against her. That couldn't all be true, Killian did care… Right?

"Emmaline Regan Mills… please look at me."

Mossy-green met chocolate-brown, a painful expression marring both their features.

"You are my only daughter, my only child period. I do not want to see you get hurt because of some stupid boy. I do not want you to make the same mistakes I did believing in something foolish such as puppy-love. If anything happened to you… I only want what's best for you. I love you, you know that right?"

"Yes, mom, I understand and I love you too." The sincerity Regan had found in her mother's eyes shook her to her core. She needed to break up with Killian, or at least get him to treat her right. She didn't want her mom to think she couldn't handle it.

"Good, now let's go get some breakfast at Granny's, you deserve it."

Hours later found Regina at the docks, watching a certain teen with greasy black-hair, and piercing blue-eyes. She approached quietly so as to not startle her prey.

"Killian."

Killian whipped around, terrified to find the mayor standing there in her high-as-hell heels, and her if-looks-could-kill pantsuit.

"Mayor mills! What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"My daughter's virginity."

"Straight to the point as always I see, I didn't mean it like you think, I just-"

"Can-it, Killian, I can make your life a living hell faster than you can say 'Jolly Roger', I entirely expect you to come up with every way possible to make my daughter very happy on these next few dates. You will not take her virginity, and you will treat her like a lady. You will do whatever it is she asks, and do so with a smile. Hold open doors, bow to her, and pull out her chair, everything you can think of."

"And if I refuse?"

"Your boat will sink, all your friends will turn their backs on you, I will make sure Regan leaves you, and I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell, possibly even get you to serve time in Juvenile-detention. So I advise you take heed."

"You don't scare me, ya evil old bitch"

Quicker than he could even blink, Killian was upside down, his leather pants missing, with his underwear pulled as firmly up as it could possibly get. Soon he noticed he was upside down on top of the local school's flag pole. A scream tearing through his throat at the great height, Regina just looked on.

"I'll do as you ask, just let me down!"

"Mmm.. I don't know."

"Please! I'm sorry!"

"I don't believe you." Regina stated simply walking away.

"No please, wait! I will do as you ask! I beg of you, just please bloody get me down from here!"

"I suppose…" Regina snapped her fingers and he found himself on the ground, kissing it vehemently.

"Next time I tell you to do something, do it without question, or else."

"Yes your majesty."

"Good… now let the quest for my daughter's affections truly begin."

Regina poofed herself home and onto the couch, slippers on her feet, remote in hand, coffee on the table. Her life officially complete when her daughter bounded down the stairs, smile on her face, and phone in hand; Jumping onto the couch and into her mother's side, a happy chatter filling the room.

"Look, mom! He texted me apologizing and asking for another date! Maybe he is changing for the better!"

"Maybe my dear, just give it time and be safe…"

"Don't worry, mom, I will, and thank you!" Regan finished with a big smile, setting the phone on the table and curling into her mom's side. Things were beginning to look up, and the little cuts on her feet might be healed in time to wear dress shoes on her next 'date', she was glad she had talked to her mom after all. Even if she wasn't originally supposed to hear about it at all…


	8. Run away, love

Regan- Age 13

This was their third fight this week alone and it was only Thursday. Regan didn't mean to cause so much trouble, she just wanted to have some fun and explore. Why was that so hard for her mom to understand? She was thirteen years old, old enough to explore and make her own decisions right? She was going to be an adult soon enough and if she wanted to make bad decisions that was her right. She was so mad at her mother that she decided to take things into her own hands. She was going to run away from home and never come back. She was tired of being in trouble and being told what to do. So the next morning after her mom left for work she packed some clothes, food, and a tent, anything really that would fit in her backpack and she left...

Regan trudged her way through the woods, hoping to find the most remote spot available. She didn't want to be found, and she hoped she could make sure of that by hiding in the deep back woods. Carrying everything was making her tired and she was taking far longer to get where she was going than she had anticipated. It would be dark very soon, which meant her mom was already home and quite possibly wondering where she was. "Why do I even care? I'm thirteen I'll take care of myself from now on!" She said angrily. But soon the cold started to seep into her clothes, and the anger melted away. All that was in its place was fear. Fear that she'd never see her mom again. "Why did I run away?" She asked herself, "its not like the fights were that bad. It was just over stupid stuff."

meanwhile Regina was tearing through her house looking for any sign of her daughter. "Where is she?!" When she looked into her daughters room early that evening and found clothes missing she was confused. Gone was also some of their food, and after looking more she realized their tent was gone too. Fear struck her heart in the most painful of ways. Her daughter was gone, and she didn't know where too. She could easily have left storybrooke then Regina would never be able to find her. Had it really come down to this? Her daughter taking off and leaving over petty fights? If she had known... If she had known she would have never fought with the girl. she would have hugged her tighter and made it a priority to be home for dinner. She would have watched a movie every night no matter how dumb the choice. She would have let her get that damn puppy she wanted. She just want Regan to come home. She missed her badly and if she came home safe and in one piece they would go get that puppy the next day. After searching around the house and town for hours, Regina called Graham. He would know what to do and be able to get Regan back.

"Sheriff Graham speaking, how may I help you?"

"Graham its Regina, I need your help."

"Ah, madame mayor, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Regan is missing. She ran away from home, I've looked everywhere and its getting dark. The temperature is dropping-"

"Regina, calm down. We'll find her I promise. Just sit tight and I'll be there soon."

In the woods about 8 miles out was Regan. Hoping beyond hope that her mom would come find her so she could go home. She had set up her tent and crawled inside, but of course she had forgotten blankets or even a pillow. "I hope mom comes to get me... Though if she didn't I would deserve it. What was I thinking? I still need my mom." She was really cold at that point, so all of her clothes were layered on and she curled up in a ball, hoping to keep some heat in. Instead she remained extremely cold and soon fell asleep that way, dreaming of her mom coming to find her. Little did she know, her mom wasn't too far away.

"I don't think we're going to find her tonight, Regina."

"What are you talking about? Of course we are."

"Regina, its already almost midnight and we haven't even made it half way through the woods. She could be anywhere, and we don't even know if she is still in storybrooke."

"Of course she's still in storybrooke! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Regina... We can always get a search party in the morning."

"No. You can quit looking if you want too, but I refuse to quit until I find her. Its already 20 degrees outside. She could be freezing right now, and I refuse to let that happen. I will find my daughter with or without your help!"

And with that she trudged on, the backpack holding her daughters winter jacket still on her back. Graham sighed and headed back into town, hoping that Regina would see things his way and come back too. Instead, Regina carried on her way hoping to see a tent soon, as she hoped Regan had the common sense to put it up for the night. It was too cold to continue on otherwise.

about thirty minutes later, Regina saw the tent a little off into the distance and took off towards it, happy to see what she could only consider as her salvation. When she got to the tent she opened it quickly and looked in with her flashlight, seeing her daughter curled up in a ball shivering, but asleep non the less.

"Regan... Regan..."

"Momma? Is that really you?"

"Yes baby its me."

Next thing she knew, Regan had pounced into her arms, forcing her back flat onto the hard ground. Her daughter curled into her and crying, shaking from the cold. She held tight to her daughter, hushing her and leaving kisses on her face.

"I'm so sorry, mom. I'm so so sorry. I'll never ever run away again."

"I'm sorry to dear, but its okay. I've got you now and your safe."

"How are we gonna get home?"

"Tonight we'll sleep in this tent. In the morning we'll head back, but for now... You're safe, I'm here, and all we need is sleep."

"Okay..."

Soon the coat was pulled out of her backpack for, Regan and Regina had her curled up tight to keep her daughter warm. Tomorrow they would have her checked out by Dr. Whale to make sure she was okay, but for now all Regina wanted was for Regan to be right there beside her. And she was.

"Mom?"

"Yes honey?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Regan?"

"Yes mom?"

"When we get into town... You're grounded. You're getting that puppy you want... But you're grounded. you're not to leave my sight for the next 48 hours."

"In that case... You're grounded to mom."

Both Regan, and Regina fell asleep with a smile on their faces. The week may have started out bad, and Regan could have been seriously hurt, but all was currently fine in the world and they were both happy to have each other back.


	9. Surprise!

Regan- Age 22

Regan had been feeling sick for the last week, her stomach was constantly upset, and she was tired a considerable part of her day. At this point in her life she had moved to Boston to go to college, and was almost done with school. She was so close, yet so far away from her dream job of being a Lawyer. Originally she had planned on being a Police Officer, or even a fire fighter, she wanted to make a difference and she was constantly in shape. But of course her mom, Regina begged her not too, it was dangerous work, and even though there had been a point right after Regan found out the truth about everything - a point in which she would have done anything to be spiteful to the woman- she no longer wished to do so. Regina would forever be mom, no matter the circumstances, and even though she had somewhat of a relationship with snow and charming, it could never truly compete with her and Regina's. Plus they still called her Emma, and she rather be Regan.

Now since it had been a week of being sick, her mom insisted on coming to take care of her in all her sick, germ-infested, disease-ridden, humiliated, glory. Regina would stay as long as she deemed necessary; making dinners, keeping her on bed rest, watching movies with her, snuggling with her, cleaning the house, and attempting to help with her homework. Homework that if she wasn't careful would quickly become to burdensome and extremely overdue. So she waited for her mom to get there, enjoying being babied, and hoping to get over it soon.

When Regina got there she glanced around the house noticing it to be relatively clean, the kitchen especially. This was a major concern, Regan didn't really clean, and since she so often ate whether from boredom or other reasons, the kitchen was always the messiest part of the house. It was spotless. Implying that Regan hadn't been eating at all, something that greatly concerned her mother.

"Momma? Is that you?" A quiet voice called from down the hall, clearly to tired to get up and check out the situation.

"Yes dear, it's me. How are you feeling? I'm just putting my bag in the spare room and I'll be there."

"I'm not feeling too hot, well.. I am feeling hot but not in a good way."

Regina put her bag in the spare room, and made it to Regan's room. Looking at her daughter when she came in, she noticed the way blonde curls hung limply and stuck to her skin. Pale skin, that was cool and clammy, very unlike the normal uncontrollable heat that generally rolled off the girl. She was also looking thinner then she had in awhile, wearing a blue razor back tank top, and Grey Cotton shorts. everything about her and her room screamed sick, even the smell.

"Oh sweetheart, you do not look good at all."

"I know, momma. I don't feel really good either. Will you come lay down with me and snuggle? Please?"

Regina nodded her head in agreement, getting onto the left side of Regan's bed and pulling her daughter close. She was clearly dehydrated, and had what appeared to be the flu.. But something wasn't right. Regan was hardly ever sick as a child, or even a teen, and when she was she got over it fairly quick. This was certainly unusual. A thought hit Regina at that point.

Hadn't Regan been seeing that Cassidy boy? What was his name? Ah, yes. Neil. Where was he? He should be here with his sick girlfriend, that was what couples did after all. Take care of each other.

"Regan... Where's Neil?"

"We broke up."

This piqued her mothers interest further.

"And why would that be dear?"

"I uh... I didn't want to sleep with him anymore."

A blank expression crossed her mothers face. After a minute or two of silence and blank expressions, Regan became worried.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you uh... Are you okay?"

"Yes dear.. Just.. Surprised, and.. Mm.. Did you use protection?"

"Mother!"

"It's a valid qquestion!"

"We did! ...most the time.."

Regina was silent once again, her expression flickering until the blankness seeped away, leaving pursed lips and worried brown eyes.

"I'll be back in a few minutes"

"Mom i-"

And with that there was a cloud of purple smoke. Surprise evident in Regan's face. Her mother shouldn't have been able to do magic there. And- "mother that's not safe in public, this isn't sstorybrooke!" was shouted to a missing Regina, though a deep chuckle could still be heard in response.

Five minutes later, a purple cloud appeared, leaving Regina in its wake.

"No one saw me dear, now go to the bathroom and take this test." She said handing over a small box, 'pregnant test' written as its main title.

"Okay, how are you using magic, and why the hell would I take that?"

"Strong emotions, and because I said so. Now go."

Regan went, but not without grumbling. And after a couple minutes a thud was heard, a long with a sob, and a startled yelp.

Regina rushed to the bathroom, throwing open the door to find her daughter curled up on the floor, sobbing relentlessly. The test a mere foot away, a smiley face on the screen to show that she was in fact pregnant. Regina slowly settled herself on the floor, hugging Regan to her, until a sudden jerk forced her to let go. She watched her daughter scurry to the toilet, puking up all of the water she had consumed, the last of her strength leaving. Dry heves were next, causing her to lose her resolve and end up back on the floor. Regina pulled her daughter into her lap, brushing the hair out of her face, and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I'm so sorry, momma. I'm so so sorry."

"Shhh, sweetie. Why are you sorry?"

"I got pregnant in my last year of college, how am I going to finish? I don't want to disappoint you. and I don't know how to raise kids!"

"First off dear, you couldn't disappoint me at this point. Secondly, you'll be able to complete this year, finishing up your graduation before you have your baby. There's no manual to raising kids anyhow, and I will help you. You can come back to storybrooke and raise the baby there. Okay?"

Large tears fell down Regan's face as she snuggled into Regina's side.

"Thank you, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Everything is going to be okay, and you can live with me again until you get everything put together, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now I have a few phone calls to make, appointments and all that. We'll talk more in a little bit."

"Okay, mom. I'll just.. go lay down."

Regina smiled and walked outside. Once hitting the street she leaned up against the big brick building and took a deep breath. Tears fell silently. She was going to be a grandmother, her daughter knew the truth, still wanted her, and wanted her around to be grandma. Everything was going to be okay. But first things first. She pulled out her phone to make a call to a number that was slowly becoming familiar. "Hello, snow? ...yes, it is Regina. I know we're still not on the best terms but I figured it only fair that I tell you... We're going to be grandparents."


	10. Break my heart

**Regan- Age 14**

As a freshman in high school Regan had already experienced her fair share of things. Her first ever "legit" boyfriend was one of them. A secret boyfriend at that, since she really didn't want her mom to know about him at all, he could be scared off if she knew. His name was Jack, he was in the same grade as her, and they had immediately caught each other's attention when they started school. He was even on the football team, and had managed a spot on varsity his first year, a feat all on its own. Regan absolutely loved his plaid shirts too, he wore them all the time, and she had even gotten one for herself. Soon though, Jack realized that Regan was not a cheerleader, oh no, that was all Teila belle, and before she even knew what had happened, Jack broke up with Regan. Leaving her a crying mess, so bad in fact that she left school and went home without telling anyone, a dangerous fact when your mother is mayor.

Not even half an hour after she got home, did the front door open again to a very worried, Regina. Dark hair was stuck to her face, her clothes were wrinkled, and the heel of one of her jimmy choos was completely torn off. She looked like hell. Kicking her shoes off in a very un-regina like manor, she made a beeline for the stairs, hoping to find her daughter there. Taking them two at time, she made it to Regan's room in record time, flinging open the door, only to find her daughter a crying mess, tucked up in the sheets, face covered in tears, and eyes bloodshot. She opened her mouth to yell at her daughter for skipping school and causing her to worry, when she took in the sight before her. This was not _her _Regan, _her_ Regan never cried or made a fuss. She never really skipped school, and never had she sniffled and hiccupped when upset. This only worried her mother further, so she slowly but surely made her way over to her daughter, and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing much needed time for her daughter to realize she was there.

Instead of a verbal response, what she received was a whimper and the girls arm lifting into the air grasping, an indication that she wanted her mom. Carefully laying herself down on to the bed she scooted in front of her daughter who promptly flung her arm around her mom's waist and tucked her face into her chest. Since she was now almost bigger than her mother too, she curled up a little tighter to make herself fit better. The crying continued through the ordeal, only calming slightly when a warm and gently hand brushed its way through unruly curls. At this point, Regina knew her shirt was ruined for good, but she couldn't find it in her heart to care in the slightest. Gone was the evil queen she had been for so long, and in its place, was a 14 year old girl with bright green eyes, ridiculous curls, and a normally sheepish grin. The girl had tamed her heart, unless of course, the evil queen was needed. If anyone had hurt Regan… there would be hell to pay.

"Regan, darling, will you tell Mama what's wrong?"

A shake of the head was the only answer she received, so instead of pushing she just rubbed her daughter's back, whispering reassurances, and smiling a little when the sobbing finally stopped. A long arm curled tighter around her waist, pulling her in. Weight was readjusted, and then she continued rubbing Regan's back, giving gentle kisses to her head every once in a while. Soon gentle snoring could be heard, and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to move anytime soon. She sent a text off to her secretary that all was well, and fell asleep holding Regan.

A few hours later she woke up to find that it was getting quite late and she was hungry. Regan was still fast asleep on her chest, gentle whimpers every once in a while, but mostly just snoring. She needed to make dinner soon, and sleeping so much was going to throw off their whole schedule…

_Maybe we can watch a movie? _

"Regan? Regan sweetheart we have to get up." The only response that was given was a growl, and a tighter squeeze.

"Regan, we can't keep sleeping, come on honey. We can have cheeseburgers for dinner, with hot cocoa, and pie for desert."

Regan shot up out of bed at an extremely quick pace for someone who was sleeping so deeply just minutes before. A large smile took over her face, momentarily forgetting the pain her heart felt.

"Well what are you waiting for mom? Let's go eat those burgers!"

"Regan… will you please tell me what's going on first?"

"uh… can I tell you while we eat?"

"Yes, dear."

After cooking dinner, and getting settled at the table, Regina decided to give her daughter the choice of when to start speaking. She still had no clue what was going on, but eating had clearly helped the blonde out a bit as she happily munched away at her oversized and extremely messy burger.

"So uh… Jack broke up with me."

"Jack Bean? The football player?"

"Yeah."

"You were dating him?"

"Yup"

"and he broke up with you…"

"Correct again."

Anger flashed in chocolate-brown eyes. How dare anyone hurt her little princess, what was that stupid boy thinking?

"Clearly, he is an idiot."

A slight smile graced Regan's face, the first true one all evening. Her mom had a knack for making her feel much better, always.

"He has Teila now, so I'm sure he's doing much better."

"The cheerleader?"

"The very one."

"Well she's a skank, so I'm sure he'll end up with some unwanted disease."

"Mom!"

"Just speaking honestly dear."

Regan couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat at that point, she just truly couldn't help it. Just the thought in itself was hilarious. Regan laughed and laughed, until she starting crying again, but for a whole different reason.

"Oh sweetheart, please don't cry! I'm sorry." Regina got up to hold her daughter tight hoping to stop her from crying more.

"No mom, it's OK. I'm crying because It's so funny."

"What is?"

"You saying skank!"

"I do speak teenager you know, it's not like I never was one."

"You? A teenager? Nah, you've always been old."

"Hey! I will have you know that I am only 32 young lady!"

"See? Old."

"I'm not old!"

"yes you are"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"no! I'm not!"

"Mom, it's okay to be wrong sometimes."

Regina let out a huff, glaring playfully at her daughter who soon swooped in to hug her.

"Thank you mom… for… you know."

"you're welcome dear." She responded with a smile.

"but you're still old."

"I am not!"


	11. Mysteries in the Mansion

_**Regan- Age 2**_

Regina's day had been extremely long, and incredibly taxing. Between the complaining citizens, a drunken Leroy, and the extremely unsavory Mr. Gold, she was very thankful her day was coming to an end. It was time to go home, see her sweet little girl, have a nice drink, and then off to bed just to start the day all over again.

She made sure to enjoy the drive home, rolling down her windows to allow the late afternoon sun into her car, enjoying the cool breeze that came with it. She was excited to be home before her daughter's bedtime, this way they could spend some much needed time together. When she walked in the door Emmaline's chubby little arms would be stuck out as she made a run for her mother. Bright green eyes would light up like there is no tomorrow, hair flying every which way. It was the best way to go about getting Regina to smile, and boy would it make her smile.

Pulling into the driveway she noted that the lights in the house were all on, which would make sense if it were actually dark out, but it was still broad day light. When she walked up to the front of the house she could also see short blonde curls through the front window, clearly headed for the front door. Notably, those same blonde curls seemed to be covered in something red…

Opening the front door she looked down to see her daughter running towards her covered in the same red substance.

"MAMA!" just as always arms were thrown at the sides, ready to embrace her mother's legs. While covered in red… A perfectly nice pair of capri's about to be ruined for good, the white stained permanently if she didn't think fast. As her daughter came barreling closer she jumped back a foot, grabbing her old hoodie from the coat rack and catching her daughter in it, making the little girl squeal in delight.

"Caught me!"

"Yes I did darling, what are you covered in?"

"PASKETTI!"

"spaghetti?"

"Pagetee!"

"mmm… close enough. Let's get you in the bath… and where is Ashley?"

"Kitchen, mama." A big smile spread across the little girl's face, and all Regina could think was, _Oh dear._

"Ashley, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am! I'm just in the kitchen trying to clean some of this… mess… up!"

"Alright, I'll give Emmaline a bath and then I'll come help you."

She gave Emma a bath as quickly as she could, hoping to get rid of all the spaghetti sauce before it stained, as it was the girl's hair had an orangey-tint to it. Her mouth was also stained orange, but after the bath tonight, and the one tomorrow it would come off soon enough. She brushed the little girl's teeth and then set her in the play room next to the kitchen.

"What exactly happened, that caused her to be covered in spaghetti sauce?"

"Before we talk about that… I think you should see the rest of the house."

"whatever do you mean?"

"Just… go look at the house. I'll help clean up! I'll even work overtime to fix it. It just… she got loose, after she covered herself in it."

Regina made her way through the house, finding red hand prints on the walls, drops of red on her white carpet, and some orange stains from where Ashley had already attempted to clean up. Her couch on the other hand… was completely destroyed.

"Ashley!"

"Yes madam mayor?"

"What happened to my couch?"

"The couch I- OH MY GOD"

The once white couch was now covered in red and orange stains, the pillows were ripped to pieces, feathers everywhere, and there were large tears in the cushions. It looked like someone had splattered it with paint and then attacked it with scissors. This didn't make sense, as all the scissors had been put up last week when her daughter had decided to cut up her clothes, and then lie about it.

"Ashley… you didn't give her the scissors did you?"

"No madam mayor! I don't know what this could have been! I swear she didn't have anything sharp!"

Regina believed her, the girl clearly wasn't lying, but something was definitely going on. Tears didn't just appear in couches.

"I'll clean this up, you go ahead and go home, have a good rest of your evening and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure? Because I can-"

"Go home. Its fine, I know a way to get the stains out."

"Yes, ma'am." And with that she left. Regina on the other hand, waived her hand, allowing the magic to seep into the carpet and clean up the stains. The couch would be next. Obviously she couldn't make it look like the exact same couch, because that would be even more suspicious than having a new one. So she "replaced" it with another wave of her hand, leaving a black leather couch in place of the old white one. She didn't really like that old couch anyhow.

Now, to figure out what her daughter was using to make those rips. Like her daughter knew she was trying to figure it out, a loud ripping sound came from the play area. Slowly peeking her head around the corner, she was her daughter using her finger and sliding it down pillows. A loud Rip would ensue, and a giggle could be heard promptly after. Looking closer she could see the bright blue light coming from her daughter's fingertips.

_So she didn't lie, she wasn't using scissors._

Now the problem was that she had powers, and those powers, would have to be binded so that they wouldn't be a problem. She was too young for them anyhow.

"Emma dear?"

"mama?"

"You can't do that to the pillows…"

"Why?"

"It's… bad. It ruins the pillows, and that costs money to fix."

"oh… but fun mama!"

"I know dear… but until you're older we're going to have to stop you from… doing that."

Emma's lip trembled, but she nodded her head and looked down. She was a little too understanding for a two year old, but she understood what bad meant.

Regina brought her to her home office, where she did a quick spell to bind her daughter's powers. It was only a temporary fix, but it was also something that would have to be done regularly until she was much older anyhow.

After it was all said and done, Regina hugged the little girl tight and offered an apology, she knew it wasn't fair, and that the girl had just been having fun, but it could be very damaging if something were to happen.

"Emma… I'm sorry for not believing you about the scissors, and I'm also sorry to have to put a stop to this… but it's for your own good."

"Okay Mama…"

"would you like some ice cream? I have your favorite!"

A large smile lit up the girls face once again, all was forgiven in the name of chocolate ice cream.

"yes mama! Please!"

"Good girl using your manners!" A hug and a kiss were given, and Ice cream was dished out. This had all still been much easier than her day at work, and for that she was forever greatful.


	12. Being a woman

**Regan- Age 10**

To say she was scared would be an understatement in the worst of ways. She somewhat understood what was going on with her body, but at the same time she had no idea what to do. She was only ending her fourth grade year, and was under the impression that she was too young for all of this. Wasn't bleeding and all that stuff something that teenagers went through? Her jeans were starting to get ruined, and she was scared to get up. So she stayed in her seat until the bell rang, and then stayed still for another five minutes before rushing to the door, hoping to make it to the girls bathroom before the teacher could see her jeans. She didn't know what to do, and pure embarrassment flooded her senses completely and unexpectedly. Her stomach hurt, and she felt nauseas, and really she just wanted to go home. What was she even supposed to do right now?

She heard girls laughing behind her, and turned to see them pointing and laughing. She knew they were laughing about her, and it stung. She ran to the girl's bathroom at that point, hoping to avoid everyone along the way. As soon as she made it in she stopped in front of the mirrors and looked at her reflection, only to find herself looking extremely pale, and… in pain. This was one of the first steps into growing up, and it was the crappiest one she could think of, especially on a day like today, where she hadn't thought to bring a coat, and her jeans were the light tan color her mother so enjoyed her wearing. She just wanted to cry, and scream. She wanted to go home, but she had no way of getting a hold of her mom without talking to the nurse, and they would just have her wear some of the jeans from the "lost and found". The door to the bathroom opened, and she made a swipe at her eyes, hoping to avoid the knowing looks or leers of what she was sure would be another girl making fun of her.

"Regan?"

She looked up quickly to find merciful green eyes taking in her appearance, and she could do nothing other than smile because in her wake stood non-other than Ruby Lucas, her best friend and confidante.

"Oh Ruby, thank god you're here!"

"What's going on?"

"I think I… I think I Just got my period."

Ruby scrunched up her nose, distaste flickering across her face. The girl was a little bit older, and had already had her own, but that didn't stop her from being disturbed anyways, after all, they were still rather young.

"Gross. Do you have what you need?"

"uh… No? and I think this jeans are ruined."

For the first time since walking in, Ruby looked down and her face contorted into one of empathy. She turned around and locked the bathroom door quickly, and then pulled a box out of her backpack and handed it over to Regan.

"Your jeans are ruined, unless your mom can somehow do magic… But uh… go in the stall and read the box, it'll tell ya what you have to do. And it will help for now. While you do that, I'm going to go get Jessica Finley's cell phone for a minute so we can call your mom. Er… don't come out unless you know it's me."

"Okay… and thank you Ruby."

Tears fell silently as she hid in the stall and read the box like she was told to do. It wasn't anything she was uncomfortable with, and she knew that this would pretty much just be a place holder till her mother got there, but it was better than nothing. So she waited in the stall, hoping to hear Ruby's voice soon, and thanking her lucky stars that the girl happened to be headed to the bathroom at the same time. After waiting for twenty minutes, silently crying at her luck, and eventually believing Ruby wouldn't come back, the bathroom door opened, and a voice filtered into the stall.

"Regan?"

She couldn't believe her luck, that was definitely her mom's voice, and it held a hint of worry in it. Following quickly behind was Ruby, who she could hear click the lock shut on the bathroom door.

"I'm in here."

"Oh sweetie, Ruby told me everything, and I brought you some new jeans and everything, here take them in change, and… well there's only about an hour left of the day so how about we go home, and… well I guess talk about what all needs to happen."

A pair of dark blue jeans, and new underwear was passed under the door, and if Regan wasn't embarrassed before she certainly was now. All the girls would be able to tell what happened when she came back with a new outfit on. This really sucked, and was certainly unfortunate timing, but… no P.E if she were to go home now. She changed quickly, and walked out of the stall, handing Ruby back the box, and throwing her clothes in a plastic bag her mother was holding. Tears threatened to fall all over again, so she looked at the floor directly as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands.

"Regan, sweetheart, it's okay to be upset; I'm so sorry this happened at school… and while I was at work on top of it all."

"It's okay mom… we couldn't have known this was going to happen. I can't blame you, I just wish… I wish I had been prepared."

"I'm sorry honey… would you like to go home? I hope to maybe be able to talk to you about this stuff now, so that we can prevent anything like this from happening again? We can pick some stuff up from the store, have a mother-daughter chat, eat ice cream… answer any questions that you may have… I'll even let you pick whatever you want out for dinner."

"…can we go to granny's?"

"yes dear, we can."

"Okay, mom, I want to go home. And… shower, and then can we do all that?"

"Absolutely, whatever you want to do for the rest of the day."

"Okay…"

Regan made her way to the door, then stopped and turned around, walking to Ruby and throwing her arms around her neck.

"Thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for." She said into the older girls shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"No problem, girly. I'm sorry that it happened at school, but I'll see you at Granny's later alright? And you're my best friend too."

The girls shared a smile before parting ways, one with her mother, and the other with Jessica Finley's cell phone. Best friends forever, a guarantee for life.

Walking down the hall, Regan spotted the group of girls that had laughed at her earlier; they sent a sneer her way, only to be stared down by her mother. The other girls flinched, and she sent them a huge grin, the ten year old version of 'eat dirt'. Glancing up at her mother, she noted the raised eyebrow and had the decency to look a bit sheepish, only to a smirk sent her way. She was her mother's daughter through and through. She only hoped her jeans hadn't been ruined, and that the girls wouldn't feel the need to tease her more later.

Stopping in the office, she received a note saying she had been allowed to go home, that would have to be shown to her p.e teacher tomorrow, she could honestly care less. The cramps she was getting were soon turned killer, and she saw the worried expression her mom shot her once they reached the car. A bottle of water was sent her way along with a small little pill.

"you'll feel much better after that dear, I promise."

So she took it no questions asked, and by the time they hit the house she was feeling well enough to run up the stairs two at a time. Her lousy day was coming to an end, but it started out much better than it had been. She knew she was going to be talked to extensively by her mother, the way she always was when something happened. Preparation was a must, was what her mother insisted, and she never dared complain, all the information was found to be helpful at some point or another.

Making it down the stairs, she took the bowl of ice cream from her mom, and noted the nervous smile.

"First off, welcome to womanhood dear, I believe, it is about time I got you a cell phone."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa mom, you had me at cell phone."

And so that was how Regan came into her first stages of growing up.


	13. Loneliness

**Regan - Age 24**

She missed them like crazy, that's all there was to it. She missed his brown eyes that looked oddly like his adoptive grandmothers, and the light brown hair that seemed to curl a bit at the ends. He would be 8 months old today, and she was missing out because of school… sure she only had 4 weeks left and she would be completely over with college, but still. She missed him and her mom like crazy, but they were in Storybrooke until further notice, and really that was better than her keeping him here with her at the apartment. The very tiny apartment, that could have in no way survived her and her son, along with her mother for a babysitter. It was far too small for that, and dingy, on top of that it wasn't in a very nice area.

_School work, focus Mills, you need to get this done so you can go home to storybrooke. _

After five minutes of staring at the same sentence in her text book she was about to throw in the towel when a knock sounded at the door. Startled, she got up removing her glasses, and made her way to the door. She opened the door slightly just to peek through the crack and was met by the smiling face of her mother and son.

"Well, Sweetheart, are you going to let us in? It's getting rather chilly in here."

Regan removed the chain and flung the door open, immediately engulfing her mother in a hug and taking the car seat and bag from her. While she was now taller than her mother, Regina often wore heals to make herself seem taller, and she pulled it off well. With Regan being barefoot, her chin rested casually on her mom's shoulder when she hugged her. Arms encircled the smaller woman's waist gently, a smile on her face. She was happy her mom had come whether it be for the day, or for the week she wasn't sure, but she was happy nonetheless.

"Mom, you're here. I'm so happy you came."

"Of course I came, Dear."

"How did you know?"

Regina smiled a knowing smile, and gently pulled back to look her daughter in the eyes.

"A mother always knows when her child needs her."

Regan pulled them into the house, shutting the door, and the cold out. She put Henry's car seat down gently, and took a look at her mom again. She couldn't help the happiness that radiated off of her in waves, she hadn't expected them, but she had missed them like crazy, and somehow, someway, Regina had known. After all the craziness of finding out she was the evil queen, that her real parents had sent her away in a magical tree, after absolutely everything… This woman was still her mom; she had raised her, had loved her, and had never thought twice about it. Regan couldn't completely understand it, but she knew she was lucky, and she was happy the woman was here, and was taking care of her son. She couldn't stop from pulling Regina into another hug either.

"Are you alright, honey?" Concern marred the other woman's features, what was going on exactly?

"I'm fine mom, more than fine actually. Thank you soooo much."

"Whatever for?"

"For being my mom, for taking care of my son, for loving me-us, for being you, and I suppose… for casting the curse too."

Regina smiled slowly, wrapping one arm around her daughter's waist, and placing the other on the back of her head.

"You're welcome my Dear, sweet girl" She responded eventually, kissing the side of Regan's head.

"How long are you going to be here for?" Regan asked as Henry began to fuss, rooting around for a bottle that had yet to be made. He had managed to stay quiet for so long too. Regina smiled brighter this time.

"4 weeks."

"Really?"

"Yes dear, I've figured out how to… fix the apartment to better fit our needs until you're done with school so you can come home."

Regan just hugged her tighter, she was so happy to have them here she didn't even care that it might become hell on earth. Her day had gone from horrible to amazing in such little time. Letting go of her mom when Henry got louder, she went to the kitchen to get the formula to make a bottle while Regina took him out of the carrier.

The woman still looked young enough to be henry's mother herself. A random question popped into Regan's head at that moment.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I know you told me it's rude to ask… and I've never really thought about this up until now… but how old are you?"

Regina let out a sigh.

"Technically… I'd be considered 58 if time had never frozen, but since it did I'm considered 41. Although I believe time for me is still moving quite a bit slower because I certainly do not look or feel 41."

"I guess I coulda figured that out by myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… snow was 12 when you saved her, and you were 18."

"and?"

"And I know she's 35."

"how did you know that?"

"She was 28 when I was born, and time froze then. I feel kinda bad though… if the prophecy had gone as planned, I would have been 28 when we met up. So you would still be 34. Sorry, ma."

"Don't be, that would make you and snow the same age, and it would feel odd. I couldn't imagine not being your mom."

"I can't either… how bout to make up for it, we just say that you're 34 from now on?"

"I wouldn't be old enough to be your mother then…"

"People say they're younger all the time, it's kind of like… joking around to make you feel better."

"Odd."

"I'd have to agree, Lacey's mom is having her 7th anniversary of her 35th birthday this Friday."

"Her 7th anniversary?"

"it's a way of saying that she rather be 35, but people know she's joking.. she's going to be 42."

"Oh."

"Here's Henry's bottle! I can feed him, can you help me with my homework though? …Read it out loud like you used to maybe?"

A smile graced Regina's lips for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

"Of course I can dear."


	14. Growing up

**Regan- Age 6**

Regina had been sitting in her study calmly, drinking apple cider and enjoying the book "Pride and Prejudice". She had gotten off work early, as she did every Friday, in hopes of spending quality time with Regan. That being said, she did not expect the front door to slam, or the door to her study to be flung open with the dramatic flair only a six year old could produce.

"Mama, I want to cut my hair."

Regina could only blink, taking a moment to ponder where this had come from and what the hell she meant. Regan huffed, and placed both hands on her hips as if the conversational pause itself was causing her annoyance.

"Regan… You just got your hair trimmed last week."

"Not trimmed Mama, I want it CUT, up to my chin."

Regina tilted her head to one side, viewing her daughter and the length of her hair. The golden-blonde hair was long, and fell almost to her waist. The soft waves making her look younger than she really was. She didn't want to cut her daughter's hair, certainly not that short, but she should ask anyways.

"Why do you want to cut it that short?"

"All the girls at my school are getting theirs cut! They say only little kids have long hair."

The only sign that Regina had found this information funny was the twitch that occurred at the corner of her mouth. _All the girls she says? There are only about 20 kids in that entire school… ALL the girls, is about 9 girls, her included._ A soft sigh came out slightly louder than she intended and she noticed her daughter's frown. Yes, this might turn into a meltdown if not properly approached.

"Regan... I think that-"

"That means no."

"What dear?"

"You're going to say no."

"I most certainly was not young lady, and you don't get to use that tone with me."

"…Sorry Mama, please continue?"

"As I was saying… I think that you should think about this over the weekend; and on Monday, if you're still 100% certain… We'll go get it cut. That does not mean, Emmaline Regan Mills, that you don't think about it at all, and that you just tell me on Monday that you want it cut. I want you to actually think about this completely, look at pictures, and everything. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Good girl, now, would you care to pick out a movie to watch?"

And with that, the girl flew out of the study, and made a break for the living room's movie shelf. Sighing, once again to herself, Regina made her way to the living room, hoping like hell her daughter wouldn't choose to cut off all her hair. When she sat down on the couch, the movie had already started to play in the VCR. It was of course, Snow white, because of all the movies there were in the world, her daughter would love that one.

She settled in, her daughter jumping up onto the couch and snuggling into her mother's side happily, a large grin on her face. She wouldn't remain cuddly for too much longer; she just did so now because she was still young. If her hair got cut off… would that be the beginning of the end? Regina wordlessly tugged her daughter closer, pulling the girl into her lap and hugging her tightly. Regan looked up at her mom in question, but decided it wasn't worth questioning and just snuggled closer. For the first time all day, Regina's sigh was of contentment, not exasperation or an attempt to calm herself.

Not too much later, Regina found Regan was fast asleep in her lap, it was only 4:30… but she figured a little bit of a nap wouldn't hurt, so she allowed herself the moment before getting up to make dinner. Hoping the weekend would drag out as long as possible, she was going to take Regan to do everything she loved…

Monday morning came far too fast for Regina Mills; she had taken Regan too the horse stables, they had gotten new clothes, they went and saw a movie at the theater, had dinner at granny's, got ice cream, everything the little girl adored doing. But now it was Monday, and she knew that her daughter had either forgotten about getting her hair cut, or thought about it completely. She was a little afraid to find out which was true, so she didn't bring it up.

As she was making her coffee, a little pair of arms wrapped around her waist in a hug, while a blonde head made its home in her side. She smiled, and gave a good morning, her daughter hardly ever got up this early.

"Good morning, Dear, how are you?"

"I'm good Mama… So I've been thinkin about that hair cut…"

"Oh?" Regina held her breath, her daughter had remembered, and she hoped like hell she had changed her mind.

"I still want to get it cut, but… maybe not that short?"

"How short would you like it?"

"I want it to a little below my shoulders… so it's still good for pony tails."

Regina couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, it was still quite a bit shorter than it was now… but at least it wouldn't be clear up to her chin.

"I think that's a wonderful idea sweetheart, when do you want to do it?"

"Now."

"Now?! You have school Honey, it's Monday, and I have work."

"But Mama… You're the Mayor, and it's just one day of Kindergarten."

"I don't know…"

"Please, Mama? I just want another mommy and me day."

And with that, how could Regina say no? She knew these days would end, and they would be few and far between, so why not indulge the girl. She could deal with work later, and quite honestly… her daughter was growing up way too fast.

"Yes Dear, we can have a mommy and me day. But first, breakfast while I call your school."

"Can we eat at Granny's?"

"mmm.. I suppose we can, go get dressed in something comfortable."

"Yay! Thank you, Mama."

And off she raced to go get dressed, excited for her day. Regina too was excited; first Granny's, then a haircut, then they could get their nails done, then more shopping. The day was quickly filling up in her head.

"MOM!"

"yes dear?"

"Can I dye my hair? I want to dye it your color."

Regina smiled a little bit at the sweetness of it all, but quickly frowned, how did she know what dying was?

"No! Where did you get that idea? Absolutely not."

"But Becky Meddler got it done!"

"I'm not Becky Meddler's mother, and she's older than you anyhow! Maybe when you're older!"

There was a pause, which Regina thought meant she had won, and she sighed in relief.

"Okay! I'm older now, can I dye my hair yet?"

"NO!"

"Mammmmaaaaaaa"

"I said no, Emmaline."

Silence greeted her, then a mumbled "okay" the girl knew when not to push it.

"Can I paint my nails then?"

"Yes dear" and then a smile, because it was going to be _Okay._


End file.
